A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Novel by James Joyce : Short summary

 CHAPTER 1

Early Impressions

The beginning of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man depicts the earliest impressions of an infant. These impressions are represented in a language that carries associations of inorderly experience and the supremacy of outward impressions symbolical of the baby's mind. The child remembers with peculiar acuteness, sights and sounds, smells, colours and noises. Few incidents of his very young life pass temporarily before us. There is the incident in which the child Stephen listens about a 'moo-cow'. There is another example of the child recalling how he once wetted his bed, and how mother sang to him. It seems that the child has arrived at the stage where it has become easy for him to systematize and evaluate some of these experiences.

 

The Family of Dedalus

Then is introduced the family of Dedalus. There is Simon Dedalus, the father of Stephen. His mother is  May Dedalus. Living with them are a few relatives like uncle Charles and Mrs. Riordan (called Aunt Dante). There is also an introduction of the girl Stephen wants to marry. She is called Eileen Vance.

 

The School Experiences of Stephen

There is a deep impression on the mind of Stephen of his first school experiences. He was sent to a boarding school named Clongowes Wood College. Stephen recollects how he bade farewell to his parents when he first left for the school. He also recalls that playground where he played football. He remembers the school library and the evening prayer. He recalls how his rough classmate Wells had pushed him into a ditch of dirty water and how he caught cold due to this. He had to take resort in the school infirmary and Brother Michael looked after him. There he met Athy, the son of a racehorse owner. Stephen is too frightened and disheartened and fears that he is going to die. He somehow comforts himself with the thought that if he died prematurely, the notorious Wells would be filled with repentance and remorse. Stephen is almost in delirium and recalls the story of a ghost that his old servants had told him.

 

The Dinner at Christmas

Stephen recalls very clearly the Christmas that he spent at home with his mother and father. Stephen had grown up and it was for the first time that he was permitted to sit at table with the elderly people. At dinner an argument started on politics. As the argument became more heated, May Dedalus did her best to maintain order and to calm them down but all in vain. Ultimately the dinner was spoilt and it left painful memories in the mind of Stephen. The main subject of the discussion had been the Irish patriot Parnell whose death had recently come to their knowledge. Mr. Casey was a steadfast supporter of Parnell and thought that Parnell had been treated badly by the Irish Catholic Church. The cause for the condemnation of Parnell was that he had kept a mistress. Aunt Dante was in support of the Catholic Church and became too furious at the criticism of the church. She left the room out of anger banging the door behind her.

 

Stephen's Girlfriend, Eileen

Stephen remembers the a girl Eileen. Once he had put her ivory coloured hand into his own pocket, then they started playing together. He had been threatened for playing with her because she was a Protestant, but he somehow associated her with the Virgin Mary, and phrases used by the Catholics to describe Virgin Mary got linked with Eileen in Stephen's mind.

 

School Punishment

Stephen recalls how he was wrongly punished at school by his Latin teacher. Stephen's spectacles were broken, thus he had been unable to study. Though Stephen had explained this to the Latin teacher, Father Dolan, yet he made fun of him and gave the marks of pandybat (leather strap) on his hand. Stephen felt extremely disgraced. Other boys pressed him to meet the Rector and report against Father Dolan; Stephen did that. The Rector had shown sympathy and assured Stephen that this would not happen again.

 

CHAPTER-2

Uncle Charles was all the time smoking tobacco through the pipe. Simon Dedalus did not like the strong smell of tobacco, it seemed to him like gunpowder and he declared that Uncle Charles should smoke his pipe outside the house. Uncle Charles accepted this disgrace with joy. During the summer vacation Uncle Charles became the regular companion of Stephen when he came home for the vacation. Both went for shopping or to the park where a former athelete Mike Flynn would give Stephen running lessons. At this time Stephen also took delight in the world of books. His dearest book was The Count of Monte Christo.

 

Education Discontinued

The economic condition of Mr. Dedalus had so deteriorated that he decided that Stephen should not go back to the expensive school. Several alterations took place in the household to effect economy and it caused great depression to Stephen. He started taking resort in reveries and dreamt about the time when he would become a man, a mature and experienced man.

 

Further Fall

Stephen's family faced another fall in fortune, which led them to further degradation. His family had to shift to a place that was dirty and much less convenient. Moreover, Stephen's friend Uncle Charles was growing cynical because of advanced age. Stephen holds remembrances of few of the incidents that occurred during this period of his life. All these memories are blended with the presence of a fictitious woman whom Stephen has formed in his ideas.

 

New Educational Institution

As a consequence of the influence exercised by Stephen's father, Stephen and his younger brother were sent to a new preparatory school that was named 'Belvedere College'. Now Stephen felt himself quite superior, and this sense of superiority is projected in his behaviour towards the other boys of the school. Stephen and Heron became the unrivalled heroes of the school.

 

Stephen is thrashed

One of the teachers of Stephen accused him of heresy in one of his weekly essays. Stephen was openly scolded for this. Some boys decided to punish Stephen for his heresy. They tormented him for a few days after the public humiliation of Stephen. Stephen was stopped by three boys when he was walking along the road. These boys were, Heron, Boland and Nash. These boys interrogated Stephen as to whom he thought was the best poet or the best prose writer. Stephen told them that he liked Byron a lot as a poet, and that he regarded Cardinal Newman as the greatest prose writer. The boys said that Byron was heretical and immoral. They persisted that he should take back his opinion about the eminence of Byron but Stephen would not do that. He refused, and was thus beaten by them callously with a cane and a cabbage stump.

 

The Play at School

Stephen remembers the night when a play was staged in his school. His mind was again pervaded by the girl of his fancy. He imagined that she was sitting among the audience. It filled him with shame to perform his part because he felt that his role was a disgraceful one. His role was of a humorous teacher. After the play he ran away, anguished, humiliated and full of "wounded pride."

 

Stephen's Visit to Cork

Stephen went to the city of Cork with his father. Mr. Dedalus was going there to dispose off some of his property but he also wanted his son to be familiar with the places where he spent his childhood. In the course of the journey he talked constantly about his friends of old days. During his talk he, now and then, took a gulp of brandy from his flask. Stephen was getting terribly bored with his conversation, and at the end fell off to sleep. In Cork, Stephen's father took him to the college where he had studied. The name of his college was Queen's College. He was taken round the campus. His father told him several stories about his classmates that he had narrated to him innumerable times before. In fact, this visit was full of boredom for Stephen.

 

Stephen gets an Award

Stephen won the essay contest and got a prize. He spent the money to give pleasure and entertainment to his family that was facing ill-days. He took them to theatre and bought expensive gifts for them. Thus it was a momentary excursion for them and soon after that they were back to their old world of poverty.

 

Stephen Commits a Mortal Sin

Stephen's mind was filled with intense longings and he wanted to go away from the gloomy and monotonous atmosphere of his school as well as his home. One night while wandering in the streets, he reached a brothel. He saw a woman standing at the door of her home. She stopped him and called him lovingly to her room. Stephen surrendered his body and mind to that woman.

 

CHAPTER-3.

Stephen's Self-Estimation

While sitting in the classroom Stephen's mind was taking delight in the thoughts of that evening when he had taken meal and pleasure in the brothel. As he contemplated over this sinful act he had to admit that he was leading a torn life and putting his soul to the danger of eternal damnation. Yet he knew he was not going to repent, because he felt "a dark peace had been established between his body and soul." He had stopped going to Mass but still offered prayers to Mother Mary.

 

The Period of Retreat

In honour of the patron saint of the school, Saint Francis Xavier, a three day retreat was to be observed. During retreat the master encouraged them to observe meditative silence. He also talked to them about death and damnation. Stephen felt that every word was particularly addressed to him. He recalled all the sins he had committed. He remembered the obscene pictures that he kept and the indecent letters which he wrote and left out in the anticipation that some girl would read them.

 

The Terrible Description of Hell

The most horrifying lecture was the one on hell. The speaker had vividly described all the torments that the body was put to in hell. Stephen felt great terror. He felt as though he was already dead and going through the very same torments mentioned by the speaker, but the presence of the teacher and his friends convinced him that he was still alive. Stephen knew there was no escape. He had to confess, but dreaded the thought of doing so among his school companions.

 

The Final Lecture on Spiritual Torments

The final lecture was regarding the spiritual tortures that the damned have to face in hell. The speaker explained that the first such torture they had to face was that of a sense of loss, for they must understand that their sin had deprived them of God's loving care. The second plight they had to suffer was that of deep regret. The third plight would be the acknowledgement that their suffering is endless, infinite and beyond the limits of time. He described this by giving the instance of a bird who carries away a grain of sand from the mountain of sand once in every million years. In God's eye even a single sin counts. This lecture had terribly shaken Stephen. He tried to examine his conscience but felt incapable of the task. In the evening he went to a nearby old priest and confessed all his sins. Thereafter he felt greatly unburdened and relieved. He received Holy communion the next morning and decided firmly to lead a new life.

 

CHAPTER-4

Routine full of Purity

Stephen's understanding of the nature of sin made him adopt a routine of great piety. He went through many purificatory excercises and subjected his body to mortification to conquer himself. He daily attended Mass, offered prayers and recited the rosary that he always carried in his pocket. He found himself successful in bringing all the senses under control through the tough process of discipline. He started to believe in the reality of love, for it appeared to him that God had forgiven him and bestowed grace only because of his love for sinful humanity. Stephen's control over his emotion, however, was still suspect. Sometimes doubts entered his mind, sometimes he vacillated and it was apparent to him that something within him was still dragging him towards sin, and that one act of sin would undo all the spiritual progress that he had made through great perseverance and torment.